Jane Evans Bonacci The Heritage Cook

WELCOME to The Heritage Cook ... we're sharing traditions, one recipe at a time! I learned to cook at my grandmother’s side, watching her create nourishing meals for the family. I love to share the lessons she taught me. I am a recipe editor, developer and tester, a food writer, passionate cook, and baker. Subscribe to the blog and never miss a recipe or the fun of Chocolate Mondays! Creating, exploring, sharing, nurturing ... that is what I love about cooking!

Some comments made by readers …

... Woo hoo! Mondays just got a whole lot better now that you’re featuring chocolate in some shape or form each week. It’s my favorite food group, after all...

... We prepared the “Fathers Day Brunch” on Sunday. It was a big hit! I was amazed at the light and very tasty pancakes. It looks like your recipes are going to keep me busy!...

... The [Chocolate Crinkle] cookies look beautiful. First bite brings a sensational experience to the pallet. Slightly crunchy exterior at first, then the moist interior with a burst of chocolate flavor through out my mouth. The flavors lingers long enough that I feel I must have another bite to experience it all again...

... This chicken is delicious. So tender, even the breast meat, with a hint of onion and lemon. Definitely a keeper...

... Just had my first bite and WOW! I think this is the best homemade brownie i have ever tasted. Great chocolate flavor with the right amount of sweetness. And the fudgy consistency is perfect! ...

... LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the glossary. I’ve “heard” these terms but never have I seen them in print. Keep ‘em coming! ...

... I made this pasta sauce this past weekend...what can I say, it was delicious! I added fresh zuchinni and eggplant for a vegetarian style meal like you suggested. Topping the pasta dish with fresh basil from my "Swiss" herb garden made the sauce perfect! ...

Favorite Publications

Did you know that today is Bastille Day in France? Similar to our Fourth of July, it is a celebration of the storming of the Bastille fortress/prison in 1789, a symbolic event of the French Revolution. These days the President of France presides at a parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris. It may have started as a battle, but it is one heck of a party today!

James and I are going to celebrate (we look for any excuse, you know) by having a French food-filled day. While watching the Tour de France cycling race (James waits all year for the Tour!), we’re having an omelet for breakfast, lunch will be a grilled ham and cheese sandwich (known in French as a Croque Monsieur!), Coq au Vin for dinner, and we’ll top it all off with a nectarine and cherry galette for dessert! Ooh, la, la, baby! It will be a lip-smacking kind of day!

Fish and chips are a tradition in Britain and a sense of national pride. You can find it in every pub and each declares theirs is the best! Fried fish and bread was mentioned in Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist” in 1830. Chips, the English name for French fries, arrived in the 1700’s, an import from France and Belgium. Today there are around 11,000 “Chippies” (fish and chip shops) in England and Ireland. During the fortnight of Wimbledon about 30,000 servings of fish and chips are sold with Malt vinegar as the topping of choice.

Salmon is a super food. It is chock-full of nutrients that help keep us feeling young and vibrant. One of the best sources of Omega-3, salmon and other deep-sea fish, are important in helping us battle the signs of aging and keeping us healthy. Eating Well magazine recently ran a fascinating article comparing the United States’ consumption of unhealthy omega-6 fatty acids today to that of our ancestors. “Today, Americans get 10 to 25 times more omega-6s than omega-3s, partly because we don’t eat as many omega-3-rich [foods], such as salmon and sardines … mostly our diets now contain processed foods that are packed with omega-6-rich oils, including oils made from soybeans, safflower and corn.” Capt. Joe Hibbeln, M.D. believes that this dietary change is responsible for our society’s increased rates of depression, ADD, stress, etc. He gives a list of ways we can increase our intake of healthy Omega-3’s … something we should all be aware of.